Neil Maskell

Klokkenluider (2023)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Sura Dohnke and Amit Shah in Klokkenluider. The two sit next to each other on a brown leather sofa in a living room with yellow walls. Dohnke wears a denim shirt and Shah wears a navy jumper over a white T-shirt. They both look scared.

Klokkenluider (2023) © Erebus Pictures

Director / Writer: Neil Maskell
Starring: Jenna Coleman, Tom Burke, Amit Shah, Roger Evans, Sura Dohnke
Production Company: MarVista Entertainment, Erebus Pictures
Kent Locations Used: Tunbridge Wells, Teise and Coffee in Lamberhurst

Klokkenluider (2023) is a thriller about Government whistle-blower Ewan (Tom Burke (True Things (2022), Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling (2017)) and his forthright Flemish wife (Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who, Victoria), who are sent to hide in a remote country house in west Belgium by a British broadsheet newspaper.

The couple are joined by Chris and Glynn, two ex-army close protection security guards, contracted to protect the pair from dangerous forces determined to stop them from sharing their story. As they wait in the secluded house for the journalist coming to interview them, the unlikely foursome share personal histories and connect with each other in surprising ways.

Written and directed by Neil Maskell (Bull (2021), Level Up (2016)) in his directorial debut, Klokkenluider – which means ‘whistleblower’ in Dutch – is a blackly comic, character‑driven political thriller that will shock and entertain.

During filming, production visited Tunbridge Wells to film short scenes in Claremont Gardens and Town Hill Road. Production also filmed at Teise and Coffee café in Lamberhurst, which doubles for a patisserie in Belgium.

Set in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Tunbridge Wells is an historic spa town that offers a mix of independent shops and restaurants set alongside the colonnaded Pantiles and the picturesque High Street.  The area is renowned for its period houses and gardens and has been a place of interest for over 400 years. Recently Britannia Series 3 (2021) and This Way Up Season 2 (2021) TV series filmed here.

Klokkenluider (2023) will be releasing in select UK cinemas on Friday 1st September 2023.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

Bull (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Neil Maskell as Bull, holds his 11-year-old son Aiden, played by Henri Charles. In the background is a fence and bushes. The two are smiling at something off-screen. Neil has brown hair, a beard and moustache and wears a purple and navy-blue striped polo shirt. Aiden wears an oversized blue hoody and has brown hair.

Bull (2021) © Signature Entertainment

Writer: Paul Andrew Williams
Director: Paul Andrew Williams
Starring: Neil Maskell, David Hayman, Tamzin Outhwaite
Production Company: Giant Productions, Tea Shop Productions, Signature Films, Signature Entertainment, Particular Crowd
Kent Locations Used: Dartford, Dartford Working Men’s Club, Holy Trinity Church, Temple Hill, Forge Farm Meats in Tunbridge Wells, Gravesend

Bull (2021) depicts the story of ex-gang member Bull, who, after mysteriously disappearing 10 years ago, has now returned to his old hunting ground with only one thing on his mind: Revenge. Embarking on a search for his missing son, Bull will stop at nothing to ensure that those who double-crossed him pay for their sins. A brutal and suspenseful revenge thriller, at its core, Bull (2021) is the story of a father’s eternal love for his son.

Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton), Bull (2021) stars Neil Maskell (Kill List, Happy New Year, Colin Burstead) as the titular character Bull, David Hayman (Fisherman’s Friends, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) as Norm, and Tamzin Outhwaite of Eastenders-fame as Sharon.

The production visited several locations across Kent for their shoot. The Temple Hill housing estate in Dartford appears throughout the film, as the location of Gemma’s (Lois Brabin-Platt) house and Dave’s (Jay Simpson) flat. Dartford Working Men’s Club also features as the pub where Norm (David Hayman) warns Bull (Neil Maskell) to stay away from Gemma. Holy Trinity Church in Dartford features at the end of the film, as Bull carries a teenage Aiden (Matthew Castle) into the church for salvation. Various roads in Dartford also appear, including an M25 underpass which features as the homeless camp Bull finds Aiden living in.

A private house in Gravesend doubles as the home of Bull’s mother Marge (Elizabeth Counsell). Forge Farm Meats in Tunbridge Wells appears as an abattoir, where Bull and Norm torture the owner.

Located on the border of Kent, Dartford is a historic market town which boasts one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Perhaps best known for the Dartford Crossing and Bluewater Shopping Centre, Dartford’s combination of industrial and historical landscapes makes for a popular filming location. Previous productions that have filmed in Dartford include the SKY series Gangs of London (2020-2022), and The Escape (2018).

Set in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Tunbridge Wells is a historic spa town that offers a mix of independent shops and restaurants set alongside the colonnaded Pantiles and the picturesque High Street.  The area is renowned for its historic houses and gardens and has been a place of interest for over 400 years. Previous productions to shoot in Tunbridge Wells include the BBC sitcom The Cleaner (2021), Rupert, Rupert & Rupert (2019), and series 3 of Britannia (2021).

The maritime town of Gravesend is a popular filming location, due to its picturesque setting and rich history, including an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Other productions that have filmed here include the BBC TV spy thriller Killing Eve (2018-2022), which featured Nell’s Café in the first Series and the popular Netflix anthology TV series Black Mirror (2018), which used several locations across Gravesend for the hostage sequences in Series 5, Smithereens.

Bull was released in UK cinemas on Friday 5th November 2021.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Level Up (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Level Up poster - animation of a man holding a gun with Level Up wirtten in red

Level Up poster © Fulwell 73, Independent, Quickfire Films

Writers: Adam Randall, Gary Young

Director: Adam Randall

Starring: Josh Bowman, Neil Maskell, William Houston, Leila Mimmack

Production Company: Fulwell 73, Independent, Quickfire Films

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Level Up is a thriller about Matt (Josh Bowman), a young, unambitious man whose world changes instantly when his girlfriend is kidnapped. Forced to make his way across an increasingly sinister London, Matt tries to save his girlfriend, but will he succeed?

Written by Gary Young (Harry Brown, Vera) and Adam Randall (iBoy, Hooded), who also directs, the film was produced by Danny Potts (Piggy, The Guvnors) and stars Josh Bowman (Revenge, Prowl), Neil Maskell (Humans, The Football Factory), William Houston (Sherlock Holmes, Clash of the Titans), Leila Mimmack (Home Fires, High-Rise) and Christina Wolfe (Need for Speed, Fury).

The production largely filmed in London but also visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent where they used a warehouse in the ropery for the final scenes of the film where Matt (Josh Bowman) looks for his girlfriend.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a 17th century dockyard set over 80 acres with more than 100 period buildings, dry docks, submarines and period streets.One of Kent’s most popular film locations, The Historic Dockyard Chatham has previously featured in Rustom (2016), Mr Turner (2014) and Oliver Twist (2007).

Level Up is available on DVD and online download.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

Piggy (2012)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Paul Anderson as Piggy stands in front of a torn, dirty white sheet. He is wearing a black hoody with the hood up and a pig nose mask. He is staring straight at the camera.

Piggy (2012) © DP Films

Writer / Director: Kieron Hawkes
Starring: Martin Compston, Paul Anderson, Neil Maskell
Production Company: DP Films, Fulwell 73
Kent Locations Used: Invicta House, The Hive, Manor Way Business Park, Darenth Valley Hospital

Piggy (2012) follows Joe, a mild-mannered anxious man whose life is thrown into turmoil after the violent murder of his brother. He finds an unusual friendship in the brash, hot-tempered Piggy who soon drags Joe into a world of danger, violence and revenge.

Written and directed by Kieron Hawkes (Intergalactic, Fortitude) in his debut, Piggy stars Martin Compston (Our House (2022), Line of Duty) as Joe, Paul Anderson (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), Legend) as Piggy and Neil Maskell (Bull (2021), Klokkenluider (2023)) as Joe’s brother John.

The film was shot in various locations across Kent. Joe’s office was filmed in the Post Room of Invicta House in Maidstone. Joe and Piggy attack a mugger at The Hive in Gravesend, and later drive through Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe. After his brother is attacked, Joe visits him in Darenth Valley Hospital in Dartford.

As the county town of Kent and seat of local governance, Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The River Medway runs through Maidstone’s town centre, linking it with nearby towns Rochester and Chatham. The town has many shops, restaurants, bars, churches and a museum. Maidstone has also featured in They Came from Somewhere Else (1984), Missing (2009-2010) and Rustom (2016).

Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent on the south bank of the Thames. The towns pier is the oldest remaining cast-iron pier in the world, and the town also features an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Island (2011), The Interceptor (2015) and The Escape (2018) also filmed in Gravesend.

Piggy (2012) was released on Friday 4th May 2012 and is available to purchase on Amazon.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.